Battery operated cigarette lighter



July 16, 1968 c. F. JACOBSON BATTERY OPERATED CIGARETTE LIGHTER Filed Aug. 30, 1966 e/ for. diesier F 461446540 United States PatentO 3,393,293 BATTERY OPERATED CIGARETTE LIGHTER Chester F. Jacobson, Asheboro, N.C., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Filed Aug. 30, 1966, Ser. No. 576,016 7 Claims. (Cl. 219267) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A battery operated electrical cigarette lighter is constructed with a cover normally extending over the filament and connected to a user actuator, with the connection including arcuate grooves in which connecting pins are pivotally and slidably movable so that on actuation the cover pivots and slides away from the filament.

The present invention relates to electrical battery operated cigarette lighters.

7 Electrical cigarette lighters have, in the past, typically included a battery or batteries mounted within a casing for providing current to heat an electrical resistance heater filament mounted in the upper portion of the casing. In addition, prior lighters have utilized a filament cover member which is pivotally mounted about a fixed axis extending between side walls of the casing. In normal position, the cover extends over the filament; but, when pivoted such as by means of a finger or thumb actuator, the cover pivots about this fixed axis and away from the filament. Because the area over which the filament extends is relatively lar-ge, as compared to a wick type lighter, for example, the portion of the cover on the filament side of the pivotal axis also has to be relatively large. This has created problems because when the relatively large cover portion has been pivoted upwardly it extends a substantial distance above the top edge of the lighter so as to introduce a possibility of interfering with the user Or a cigarette during an act of positioning the cigarette on the filament. Thus, to minimize the chance of having the cover interfere with the lighting of a cigarette and, also for the sake of appearance, it would be desirable to minimize the distance that the cover projects above the upper edge of the casing when the cover has been pivoted away from the filament. Furthermore, it has been found desirable to provide heater filaments which are removable from the casing so that the user may clean or replace the filament. In this latter regard, it would be helpful if the filament assembly could be easily removed while the cover is in closed position so that the filament is not heated when the removal takes place.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a filament cover for a battery operated cigarette lighter which cover is connected to the lighter casing and to a user actuator means in such a manner as to minimize the distance that the cover projects above the top edge of the lighter casing when the cover is moved away from the filament.

Another object is the provision of an electrically operated cigarette lighter having a removable filament assembly and a cover for the filament mounted on the lighter casing, and wherein manual removal of the filament for cleaning or replacement may readily be accomplished while the cover is in a closed position and the filament is not heated.

Briefly stated, in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the distance that the cover projects above the casing of the lighter when the lighter is to be used for its intended purpose is minimized by virtue of the manner in which the filament cover is connected to the lighter casing. This connection permits the cover, in addition to pivoting away from the filament, to also 3,393,293 Patented July 16, 1968 slide inwardly of the casing when the user moves the filament cover by depressing an actuator means which is connected to one end of the filament cover.

As another aspect, a filament assembly is removably mounted through an opening in an end wall of the lighter casing so that the assembly may be removed and replaced while the cover remains in a closed position.

While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as the invention, it is believe-d that the invention together with further objects and advantages may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the lighter of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the lighter with the bottom portions thereof removed;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view showing internal components of the upper portion of the lighter andwvith the cover closed;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but with the filament cover open; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the upper portion of the lighter with certain parts removed for clarity.

Now turning to the drawing, there is illustrated a battery operated cigarette lighter 10 which includes a casing 11 preferably formed from two molded plastic case halves 12 and 13. One of the case halves has integral pins 14 which are received in holes 15 in the other case half so that the complementary portions will properly align them selves with each other when the two halves are connected together. The casing includes opposite side walls 16 and 17, and front and rear end walls 18 and 19. As seen most clearly at FIG. 5, the upper portion of the casing is divided into a front chamber 20, a central chamber 21, and a rear chamber22. The side walls of the casing also provide side walls for these latter chambers. The front end wall 18 of the casing provides an outer end wall for the front chamber 20, and the rear end wall 19 of the casing provides an outer end wall for the rear chamber 22. A bottom wall 23 for the chambers extends between opposite side walls of the casing above the main portion of the casing which houses a battery 24. In addition to the walls just mentioned, a pair of internal walls 25 and 26 extending above the bottom wall 23 and between opposite side walls 16 and 17 provide the end walls of the central chamber, and these internal walls also provide the inner end walls of the front and rear chambers. The front chamber also has a top wall 27 which is provided with an opening 28 sufficiently large to receive the tip of a cigarette. The side walls 16 and 17 and the front end wall 18 each extend a slight distance above this top wall 27. The upper portions of the side walls and rear end wall around the rear chamber are set slightly inwardly to provide a ledge 29.

In order that a filament assembly 30 may be removably received in the front chamber, the front end wall is provided with an opening 31 sufiiciently large to receive the filament assembly. The filament assembly includes a main body portion 32, preferably molded of a suitable plastic, with tabs 33 and 34 extending outwardly a slight distance from the sides of the main body portion at the front end thereof to facilitate grasping the assembly between a finger and thumb when the user desires to remove the filament assembly from the casing. A recessed central portion 35 is preferably lined with a thin liner 3-6 of any suitable heat resistant material and this liner includes apertures 37 therethrough so that when a cigarette is placed in this recessed portion air may flow from the bottom through these apertures as the user inhales on the cigarette to light it. A pair of electrical resistance heater filaments 38 extend over the top surface of this liner across the recessed portion. First and second electrical contacts 39 and 40 formed of good electrical conducting material are connected at one end to these filaments, and these contacts extend rearwardly along the opposite side edges of the main body portion of the filament assembly.

The storage battery 24, preferably of the nickel-cadmium rechargeable type, is housed within the casing between the opposite side walls thereof and below the bottom wall 23 of the chambers. A third contact 41 is connected to a first terminal 42 of the battery, and this contact includes a portion 43 which extends upwardly along one inner side surface of the front chamber. A flexible electrically conducting strip 44 is connected to this third terminal through the medium of a diode 45, and this strip extends downwardly along one side of the battery between the battery and the front end wall of the casing. The diode is poled in a direction to assure unidirectional flow of current through the battery when the battery is being recharged. The end of the strip opposite from the contact 41 includes a portion 46 which is accommodated in an opening 47 formed near the bottom of the front end wall 18. Another flexible electrically conducting strip 48 is connected to the second terminal 49 of the battery, and this conducting strip extends down the opposite side of the battery to an opening (not shown) in the rear end wall 19 of the casing similar to the opening 47. The portion 46 on conducting strip 44 together with the similar bottom portion (not shown) on the conducting strip 48 permit the lighter to be placed in a suitable recharging stand wherein an appropriate electrical potential may be applied across the opposite terminals of the battery through the conducting strips 44 and 48 to recharge the battery. Inasmuch as the recharging device forms no part of the present invention it has not been illustrated.

As seen clearly at FIG. 2, the conducting strip 48 also includes a flexible portion 50 which extends from the battery terminal 49 a slight distance above the top of the battery toward the opposite terminal 42. A fourth electrical contact 51 includes a portion 52 which is positioned against the inner side surface of the front chamber immediately opposite from the contact 43. This fourth contact also includes a portion 53 which extends through a slit 54 formed along the bottom edge of wall 25 and into the central chamber. Another slit 55 is formed in the bottom wall of the central chamber adjacent the juncture of the inner wall 26 and the bottom wall, and the portion 50' of the conducting strip 48 extends through this slit and into the central chamber. As seen at FIG. 3, the portion 50 of the conducting strip is immediately above the portion 53 of the contact 51 in the central chamber when a filament cover 56 is in closed position. When, however, a user actuator means 57 opens the cover to the position of FIG. 4 the portion 50 is urged into engagement with portion 53 to complete an electrical circuit from the battery through the filament in a manner to be pointed out hereinafter in greater detail.

The principal function of the cover 56 is, of course, to conceal the filament for the sake of safety and appearance when the lighter is not in use such as when it is carried in a purse or pocket. The cover must, however, be capable of being easily opened when it is desired to use the lighter for its intended purpose. When the cover is opened it should project only a minimum distance above the top edge of the casing so as to minimize the chance that the cover will interfere with the lighting of a cigarette. Furthermore, the design of the cover should be such as to minimize any chance that the cover will open when it is stored in a purse or pocket. A preferred manner by which the present invention provides these desirable features in a filament cover will now be described in greater detail.

As seen clearly in the drawing, the opposite inner surfaces of the opposed side walls 16 and 17 in the upper portion of the lighter are each provided with an arcuate groove 58 and 59 which extends in a direction from a point spaced slightly from the top of the side Wall downwardly and rearwardly. The cover includes a main body portion 60 which normally extends in a closed position over the opening 28. Opposed pins 61 and 62 extend from opposite side edges of the cover and these pins are received respectively in the grooves 58 and 59. An extension on the opposite side of the pins from the main body portion of the cover has a generally circular cross section and provides a means for receiving a downward component of force to pivot the main body of the cover about the pins when the cover is to be opened. This downward force on the extension 63 also causes the pins 61 and 62 to slide in the grooves 58 and 59 to the position of FIG. 4. Therefore, it should be clear that when the cover is opened, the cover moves away from the filament and inwardly of the casing so as to minimize the portion of the cover that projects above the casing when the cover is open. Furthermore, it is to be noted that the cover is protected on three sides by the side walls 16 and 17 and the front end wall 18 when the cover is in closed position. The cover therefore has no projecting edges which can catch or snag on an adjacent article in a pocket or purse which might cause the cover to be inadvertently opened. This is, of course, a desirable feature from a safety standpoint.

The user actuator member 57 for opening the cover and at the same time closing an electrical circuit from the battery through the filament includes a top wall 64 having an integral tab 65 extending a slight distance outwardly of the front edge thereof. Integral skirt portions 66, 67, and 68 depend downwardly from the side and rear edges of the wall 64. These skirt portions extend adjacent the outer surfaces of the walls surrounding the rear chamber 22, and the member 57 is mounted on the casing for vertical movement with respect thereto. A generally L-shaped member 69 is welded or otherwise secured to the bottom surface of the wall 64. The long leg 70 of the L-shaped member is received in a groove 71 formed in the rear end wall of the casing so as to provide means for guiding the movement of the member 57. The short leg 72 of the L-shaped member includes, at its end, a downwardly and inwardly extending portion 73 which, together with the tab provides means defining a channel 74 which receives the arcuate extension 63 of the filament cover. A projection 75 extends downwardly from a point adjacent the rear end of this channel and this projection is located in the central chamber immediately above the conducting strip portion 50. When the push button member 57 is actuated by the user from the position shown at FIG. 3 to the position shown at FIG. 4, the projection 75 forces the conducting strip 50 into engagement with the fourth contact 53 and this same movement opens the cover 56 in the manner described above. Smooth opening of the cover is enhanced by virtue of the fact that an even force is exerted across substantially the entire length of the extension 63 when the member 57 is depressed. A coil spring 76 is positioned on an integral ledge 77 formed in the opposite side walls of the rear chamber 22 and this spring normally biases the push button 57 upwardly to the position shown at FIG. 3.

With the construction just described it should now be appreciated that the filament assembly 33 may be posi tioned in the front chamber; and, when so positioned the filaments 38 are in alignment with the opening 28 and the first and second contacts 39 and 40 electrically engage respectively the third and fourth contacts 41 and 51. Therefore, an electrical circuit may be traced from the first battery terminal 42 to the first contact 39 via the third contact 43; thence, through the filament 38 to the second contact 40 and to the fourth contact 51. The conducting strip leads from the second battery terminal 49 to the conducting strip portion 50. Therefore, when the conducting strip 50 is brought into electrical engagement with the fourth contact portion 53 (FIG. 4), the circuit is complete through the heater filaments which will heat in a short time to a sufficient degree to light a cigarette. It is further to be noted that the filament assembly may be removed while the cover 56 is in closed position when the filament is not heated so that there is no danger of burning the hand.

The foregoing is a description of an illustrative embodiment of the invention, and it is applicants intention in the appended claims to cover all forms within the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a battery operated electrical cigarette lighter having a plurality of members including a casing, an electrical resistance heater filament adapted to be electrically heated, a filament cover normally covering said filament, and user actuator means connected to one end of said filament cover and movably mounted on said casing; wherein the improvement comprises means defining opposite arcuate grooves in one of said members including said filament cover and said casing, and opposite pins in the other of said members including said filament cover and said casing, and said pins are pivotally and slidably received in said grooves for pivotal and slidable movement of said pins in said grooves when said user actuator means is manually depressed to pivot and slide said cover away from said filament and inwardly of said casing.

2. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said pins project outwardly from opposite sides of said cover, said casing includes opposite side walls and said grooves face each other across said opposite side walls of said casing, and each of said grooves extend in a direction from a point spaced slightly from the top of said side walls downwardly and rearwardly.

3. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said user actuator means includes means defining a channel along one edge thereof, and said one end of said cover is received in said channel.

4. An electrical cigarette lighter including a battery received within a casing; means including opposed side walls, front and rear end walls, a bottom wall and a top wall, said walls defining a chamber in the upper portion of said casing, said front end wall and said top wall each having an opening therein; a filament assembly including an electrical resistance heater filament and first and second contacts connected to opposite ends of said filament, said filament assembly being removably received within said chamber through the opening in said front end wall to a position where said filament is in communication with the opening in said top wall; means in said casing for electrically connecting said first and second contacts across opposite terminals of said battery; a filament cover pivotally connected to said casing and normally extending over the opening in the top wall of said chamber; and user actuator means mounted on said casing and connected to one end of said cover for pivoting said cover away from said top wall opening in said chamber.

5. The device as set forth in claim 4 wherein said cover includes pins projecting from opposite sides thereof and pivotally and slidably received in opposite grooves formed in the opposed side Walls of said upper portion of said casing.

6. The device as set forth in claim 4 wherein the opposed side walls and front end wall of said chamber extend upwardly above said chamber top wall whereby said filament cover is bounded on three sides by said opposed side walls and front end wall.

7. An electrical cigarette lighter including a battery received within a casing; means including opposed side walls, front and rear end walls, a bottom wall and a top Wall, said walls defining a front, central, and rear chambers in the upper portion of said casing; a filament asembly including an electrical resistance heater filament and first and second contacts connected to opposite ends of said filament, said filament assembly being removably received within said front chamber through an opening in the front end wall thereof; a third electrical contact permanently connected to a first terminal of said battery and extending into said front chamber to electrically connect said first contact with said first battery terminal; a fourth electrical contact extending from said front chamber into said central chamber and making electrical contact with said second contact; a conducting strip extending from a second terminal of the battery into said central chamber; user actuator means mounted on said casing above said rear chamber, and a spring positioned in said rear chamber for urging said user actuator means upwardly; a filament cover pivotally connected to said casing; means connecting said user actuator means to said filament cover for pivoting said cover away from said filament; and projection means extending from said user actuator means into said central chamber for urging said conducting strip into engagement with a portion of said fourth contact when said user actuator means is depressed to complete an electrical circuit from said battery through said filament.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,525,040 10/1950 Luthi 2l9266 2,716,987 9/1955 Keefe 131237 3,098,923 7/1963 Behrendt 2l9268 3,277,271 10/1966 Hunt 219-268 3,351,736 11/1967 Jacobson 2l9267 RICHARD M. WOOD, Primary Examiner. VOLODYMYR Y. MAYEWSKY, Examiner. 

